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Juliette Binoche, the French actress, sobbed during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival over reports that Iranian director Jafar Panahi has begun a hunger strike in his Tehran prison cell.

Panahi was due to take his place on the Cannes jury this year. Instead, he is incarcerated in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, after he was arrested for unspecified crimes. The festival has left an empty chair on the jury panel.

The director has made several films critical of the Iranian regime. All are banned in his own country. Last year, the government imposed a travel ban after he appeared wearing green - the colour worn by opposition Green Movement supporters - at the Montreal Film Festival.